2017届高考英语一轮复习夯实训练：Unit 13《People》（北师大版含解析）_高考复习指南

2017届高考英语一轮复习夯实训练：Unit 13《People》（北师大版含解析）

　　What Is a Food Allergy?

　　Food allergies occur when your immune system makes a mistake. Usually, your immune system protects you from germs and disease. It does this by making antibodies that help you fight off bacteria, viruses, and other tiny organisms that can make you sick. But if you have a food allergy, your immune system mistakenly treats something in a certain food as if it's really dangerous to you.

　　What's a Reaction Like?

　　In the most serious cases, a food allergy can cause anaphylaxis (过敏症). This is a sudden, severe allergic reaction in which several problems occur all at once and can involve the skin, breathing, digestion, the heart and blood vessels. A person's blood pressure can drop, breathing tubes can narrow and the tongue can swell. People at risk for this kind of reaction have to be very careful and need a plan for handling emergencies, when they might need to get special medicine to stop these symptoms from getting worse.

　　What Will the Doctor Do?

　　If you think you may be allergic to a certain food, let your parents know. They will take you to the doctor to get it checked out. If your doctor thinks you might have a food allergy, he or she will probably send you to see a doctor who specializes in allergies. The allergy specialist will ask you about past reactions and how long it takes between eating the food and getting the symptom, such as hives. The allergist also may ask about whether anyone else in your family has allergies or other allergyrelated conditions. The allergist may also want to do a skin test. This is a way of seeing how your body reacts to a very small amount of the food that is giving you trouble.